$3000 Mega Shoot Out - December 05 / January  06

The Steel City Drag Club in South Australia put up $3,000 prize money to be won for Mega Shoot Out. This was a point series event held over two meetings, the hope was 50 entries for $6,000 prize money but the club had a lower prize pool if the required numbers were not meet. As a added incentive all first round losers were entered in a comp bracket with $500 for the win on each of the two meetings (how’s that for a consolation bracket). With just under the 30 required for the Shoot Out the club decided to run the meeting. The Mega shoot out bracket was open to all Competition, Super Sedan, and Super Street vehicles to make an interesting nights racing. The club ran last years success story The Street Challenge Series for cars and bikes with a low $60 entry fee (all ANDRA fees and licenses paid). This was giving new racers a entry point to get into drag racing with limited rules (DOT Tyres) with round robin format

Greg Brown

Anne Jones

Mick Yfanditis

Round 1 was held in December with 26 nominations for the Shoot Out, with 7 (car), 11 (bike) in the Street Challenge Series. Simon Barlow in his Dragster was in the top qualifier position with a 5.221 to Richard Milne in his HT Holden on 9.905 on the bump spot. Gary Busch made the finals by defeating Bruce Pain’s Holden Gemini in round two with a 5.430 to 7.26.  Busch then faced the Tow Car Racing of Anthony Raschella in his sponsors Holden Rodeo Ute.  With a 5.52 win from Busch to a 11.03 lose for the Ute.  Next to face Busch’s onslaught was top qualifier Simon Barlow with Busch taking a 5.50 win to a 5.26 lose to Barlow.   The other finalist was ex-Australian Super Street Champion Mick Yfanditis in his Chev powered Holden Ute defeating Richard Milne’s HT Holden with a 7.421 to a 9.658 from the HT in round two.  Yfanditis got a bye run in round three. The semi finals opponent was Chris Mawdsley’s Chrysler Ute with Yfanditis taking the win with a 7.14 to a 8.08. The final was a modified versus a Sedan , ford against Chevrolet, with the A1 Racing team member Gary Busch getting a close win with a 5.57 to Yfanditis losing 6.983 time.

The Comp bracket had two Holden Ute’s in the finals with Mildura’s Anne Jones in her immaculate 350 Chev powered HR Holden Ute against a 350 powered Holden One Tonne Ute of Brett Holbourn, with Anne Jones taking the win with a 7.64 to a 8.09 time.

 In the Street Challenge series brackets it was ex modified racer Ron Mathews in his Ford XR8 against Jeanette Selker’s 351 XW Ford with Mathews taking the win with a 10.47 to Jeanette’s 9.52 time.  The bikes had two brackets run as a round robin, with bracket B winner Si Heaslip on the Yamaha R1 against bracket A winner Bruce Mc Hendrie on his Honda Fire Blade with the R1 taking a 6.89 win to the Blade’s 7.22 loss.

Greg Brown had his new funny car out to get more seat time in it and done a single exhibition pass (no time recorded on tower sheets).

Keren Belamarie

Lia Kuhn

Round 2 was held in January with some of the first round racers not fronting for racing the Mega Shoot Out, the field was slightly down to the December’s round. With only 18 car field the main point’s leaders had a good chance walking away with the dollars.  In the lead it was Gary Busch on 120 points with Mick Yfanditis on 100 points and a tie for third with Simon Barlow and Chris Mawdsley on 80 points. Top qualifier went to Gary Busch this round, due to Barlow withdrawing during time trails due to medical problems.  Nenad Stolic made the finals by facing Mathew Loller in Greg Hayes FC Holden with Stolic’s time of 7.24 putting Loller’s 8.80 into the Comp bracket. Hernan Tosti had his HB Holden was next to fall with a 7.25 taking the win over the 6.71 from Tosti’s HB. The top qualifier and points leader Busch was out classed by Stolic running a so consistent 7.24 to Busch’s 5.48 in the semi finals. On the other side of the ladder was the Dodge Challenger of Graham Shiell who put the tow car of Anne Jones into the comp bracket with a 6.15 to the Crewman’s 9.84. Glen Wilkinson was the next to fall to Shiell’s run of luck to the finals with Wilkinson’s 8.29 break out not good enough for the 6.09 run from the Challenger.  Anthony Raschella  between the two meetings had his neat 55 Chev modified with a  1/2 chassis , but the improved 55 still could not stop his Bunghole Racing team mates run with a 6.051 from Shiell to Rashella’s 7.262 in the Chev. The final had the HQ of Stolic facing the 500ci Challenger of Shiell, the win going to Stolic with a 7.27 to the Challenger’s 6.13 run.  The points deciding the winner of the $3,000 was to be Gary Busch with Mick Yfanditis getting second with Nenad Stolic, Anthony Raschella and Shiell equal third.

The Comp bracket had two Holden’s with  Robert Datson’s Torana  facing Mildura’s Bruce Pain in his Holden 6 powered Gemini with Datson taking the win with a 6.871 to Pain’s 7.422.

The Street Challenge had Ron Mathews back into the finals in his XR8 up against another female racer Lia Kuhn in her HZ Ute.  But Mathews run of luck ran out with the win going to Lia Kuhn. The bikes had Si Heaslip again into the final against the 600cc Suzuki circuit racer of Keren Belamarie with Heaslip again taking the win.

The next meeting at Steel City Raceway is The Dragster Australia Magazine S.A. Tri- Series final on 12^th March. The club is planning more Shoot Out series in the future with consideration to a large prize money single race meeting to allow more out of state racers. For all interested racers please contact the club to get on the mailing list